How To Trick Your Brain To Do Hard Things? | 🎧Podcast and Chill | Intermediate – YouTube Dictation Transcript & Vocabulary

1.[Music] you know what's weird Gwen i looked at my to-do list this morning saw a start personal blog and just scrolled past it again you mean the blog you said you'd launch back in January yeah seriously i wanted to do it it just felt hard actually it's not hard hard just fuzzy that's because your brain didn't have a clear picture of what it actually looked like our brains are wired to prioritize things that are structured urgent and familiar if something is vague or abstract it doesn't trigger the same response so what you're saying is "My brain is low-key ghosting me." Exactly so today we're not throwing a bunch of productivity hacks at you nah we're going to zoom in on why your brain skips certain things in the first place and maybe what would happen if we gave those invisible tasks a shape who knows let's dive in all right let me guess leo you labeled your uncompleted task as hard didn't you of course it feels hard but the weird thing is I know how to do it i know how to use Figma i've got the projects it's not like I'm being asked to do quantum physics that's actually a perfect example most of the things we call hard aren't hard because we lack skills or intelligence they're hard because they're vague there's no clear starting point yes it's like the task is just fog emotional fog exactly there's this concept in neuroscience called cognitive clarity a study from Stanford in 2019 showed that tasks with unclear outcomes or undefined steps cause the brain to delay activation of goal oriented areas in short if your brain doesn't see what to do next it stalls so basically our brain is like a GPS if it doesn't see the route it doesn't move no starting point no go that's right now compare that with something like filling out a form online you see fields steps a big submit button boom easy structured tasks give the brain dopamine checkpoints because you know what you're doing and what comes next and what you'll get grocery shopping same thing you know the route you get a reward chips or like vegetables if you're Gwen of course because it's good for my health excuse me i eat vegetables and chips balance fair but let's test this when I had to organize a workshop last year I put it off for weeks i kept saying it's hard but what I meant was I don't even know what slide goes first right no mental template no imagined structure hard tasks don't get rejected they get quietly avoided i wasn't scared of doing it i just didn't notice it anymore because your brain is trained to chase clarity in 2020 Columbia University researchers published a study on task salience basically how the brain ranks tasks they found that the less specific a task is the less mental priority it gets it's not a conscious decision so your brain just shuffles it to the bottom urgent and clear things go to the top vague things even important ones get ghosted so if we really break it down tasks that feel easy are often those with a predefined structure clear rewards and obvious next steps easy tasks are like IKEA furniture with instructions checklist deadline clear reward your brain says "Oh I know what to do and I know when I'll be done." Good example Leo and tasks that feel hard are usually the ones that lack form they're creative personal or abstract and your brain doesn't naturally know how to begin just because your brain couldn't see the first move all right Gwen so we just exposed the sneaky truth a lot of hard tasks aren't actually hard they're just invisible so now the big question is how do we make those invisible tasks visible how do we trick the brain into stepping forward when the path isn't lit like we shine a flashlight on the fog actually yeah metaphorically speaking that's not far off one of the most powerful flashlights you can use is a mindset shift and that shift is to think of the hard thing not as a commitment not as a big leap but as an experiment wait like a science experiment kind of here's the thing thinking of a task as an experiment isn't just a mental trick to make yourself feel better it's actually a way to reshape the entire experience of doing all right hit me what makes the experiment mindset so different three things firstly when you say it's an experiment you're not trying to win or lose you're just giving it a shot to see what happens you're not saying this has to work you're saying I'm going to see what happens that instantly reduces pressure so instead of I must launch the perfect podcast it becomes let's record one episode and see how it feels for sure and here's the second thing an experiment has clear boundaries it has a size a shape a beginning and an end let me take an example go ahead Leo like instead of saying I need to get healthy I say I'm going to walk after dinner for 15 minutes for three nights and see how I feel good point what is the third piece when you experiment your brain shifts from a judging and avoiding state to a curious and observing state yo that's big i know there's science behind it too a study in motivation and emotion found that when people approached a new task with curiosity their stress went down and they actually performed better even when the task was new or difficult so curiosity is like a psychological hack when I think of something as a test like let's see what happens I don't panic i just do it that's the magic you turn a vague idea into something clear and real gwen there's one part that really blew my mind don't you even need motivation to start no I don't motivation is optional you just need a reason even a small one to begin the experiment i love that because sometimes I wait for this big lightning bolt of inspiration and it never comes but if I just say "Let's try this for 2 days and see what happens." Suddenly the mountain shrinks yeah you remove the pressure to succeed and when the pressure's gone action becomes lighter yep because so many times I've sat in front of something I wanted to do like editing a video or planning a project and I didn't do it not because I didn't care but because it had no door it felt like mist and the experiment becomes the doorway let's give listeners some examples show them how this plays out in real life all right let's say you've been wanting to write but it just feels too big so you tell yourself "I'm going to write for 15 minutes and just see what thoughts are in my head today." That's it that's an experiment no pressure for a novel no I have to be productive just let's peek inside my brain today or maybe you want to reconnect with people instead of making a dramatic social comeback just say "I'll call one old friend this week and observe how I feel after." Totally otherwise your someday coffee catchup will turn into no day at all such an insightful thought Leo or try waking up earlier just I'll try waking up 30 minutes earlier for 2 days then I'll write down how I felt i actually did that during finals week i hated mornings but by just saying 2 days I tricked myself into starting and it helped i didn't become a morning person but I understood myself more that's the key you're not trying to be perfect you're just collecting clues now that we know why the experiment mindset works let's talk about how to actually do it like what makes a good experiment ah yes Dr gwen tell us what chemicals do I need to add to my life lab today aside from setting boundaries well it's true that the first thing a good experiment needs is a clear boundary and the second ingredient is zero expectation that one's hard be honest who's ever said "I'll just try this for fun." while secretly hoping it'll change your whole life yep we see some of you nodding that secret hope is what adds pressure but a real experiment isn't about results you're not measuring if it worked you're just observing how did I react what was the experience like so you're not judging the results just learning about your own reaction yes instead of pushing yourself to wake up early just to become a morning person ask "How does my body feel when I wake up early?" And don't forget to record it or share it when you write down what you do you will find that what you do actually happens it isn't just a thought absolutely it's no longer just a maybe it's something that actually happened so the real trick here is turning thoughts into events yes that's the brain trick you give your actions shape so your brain can respond to something real not something vague okay so experimenting has rules but also perks our listeners are probably waiting to hear this too we do one of the nicest side effects of the experiment mindset is you stop pressuring yourself to know exactly what you're doing from the start that's great because most of the time I'm just guessing and hoping for the best when you see things as experiments you allow yourself to try stuff without needing a guarantee you do more things that are uncertain and harder but you do them with ease like trying a salsa class even if dancing isn't really your thing perfect example you don't need to succeed you just need to show up and observe that part really lands because when you focus on watching yourself in action you build this whole new kind of confidence yes it's not the loud kind of confidence where you walk around thinking you're amazing it's quieter deeper you become someone who's willing to try who's genuinely curious about how you react and who stays present through it all it's not about being great at something or doing something that is super hard to achieve it's about learning who you are when you show up and do it exactly that shift from proving to exploring changes the way you experience everything [Music] okay Gwen before we start with the questions let's go over some cool words from today's episode sounds good learners listen closely and repeat if you can let's begin first word task a task is something you need to do it can be small like washing the dishes or big like finishing a project for example my first task today is to write a short email it's just another word for job or activity excellent example Gwen next up give it a shot that means to try something even if you're not sure it'll work for example I don't know how to paint but I'll give it a shot just try it who knows you might be great at it our third phrase is set a small goal it means choosing something simple and clear to do not a big dream just one little step example I set a small goal to read five pages a day small goals make big things feel easier totally i once set a goal to drink more water just one cup in the morning look at me now hydrated and happy okay next call an old friend this means to phone someone you haven't spoken to in a while example i called an old friend last weekend and we talked for hours sometimes one call makes you smile for days and the last one is write down your thoughts this means putting what's in your mind onto paper it helps you understand what you're really feeling example before bed I write down my thoughts so I can sleep better writing is a way to turn ideas into something clear perfect example to wrap up our vocabulary review okay now that we've got some cool words in our pocket and some clear ideas in our brain let's move on to the fun part discussion time we've got three questions for you to think about and of course we'll share our answers too ready let's go first question coming in hot what's one task you often skip cleaning my inbox i open it see 200 emails and suddenly need a snack updating my passwords i know it's important but I keep putting it off no excuse really let's move to the second question have you ever given something a shot and it turned out better than expected i gave yoga a shot once thought I'd fall asleep but I actually loved it i tried cooking without a recipe it wasn't perfect but it didn't burn so success and now the final question would you like to set a small goal this week what would it be yep my goal is to drink water before coffee let's see if I survive i'll try writing down my thoughts every night just one sentence that's enough to start all right it's your turn now what about you leave us a comment below and tell us what small goal would you like to try this week it can be something simple one step is all it takes we read every comment and we might even try your idea ourselves all right here's what we covered today if you want to trick your brain to do hard things without freaking out try it like an experiment right no pressure to win no need to be perfect just clear boundaries small steps and honest curiosity you don't have to feel ready you just have to be open then you will unlock a version of yourself that's braver calmer and more present so whether it's writing that blog calling a friend or waking up early don't make it a big deal this will make your brain think that the difficult thing will turn into something completely doable thanks for tuning in and remember clarity isn't something you wait for it's something you create one small curious step at a time see you next time [Music]